Investigating the role of Vsx1 in bipolar cell differentiation of the mouse retina
Date
2026
Authors
Kerridge, Amalie
Chow, Robert
Ruiz, Alberto
Hamilton, Finn
Symanski, Julian
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Victoria
Abstract
This project investigates the role of the homeobox transcription factor Vsx1 in regulating bipolar cell (BPC) subtype differentiation in the developing mouse retina. Bipolar cells are a diverse class of interneurons that relay visual signals from photoreceptors to ganglion cells and contribute to parallel visual processing pathways. Previous studies have shown that Vsx1 is expressed in specific bipolar cell subtypes, including BC1a, BC2, BC3a, BC6, and BC7. However, genetic loss of Vsx1 does not alter the overall number of bipolar cells, suggesting that Vsx1 may regulate subtype identity rather than cell survival.
To investigate this possibility, single-cell RNA sequencing of BPCs were analyzed to identify transcriptional changes associated with Vsx1 loss. Clustering and gene expression analyses revealed altered transcriptional profiles in several bipolar cell subtypes and increased expression of markers associated with Type 5a bipolar cells. These findings suggest that certain bipolar cells may undergo transcriptional respecification in the absence of Vsx1 and adopt a type 5a-like fate. To validate this, immunofluorescent labeling of Sox6 (a type 5a BPC marker) will be performed in wild-type and Vsx1 knockout retinas and analyzed using confocal microscopy."
Description
Keywords
retina, bipolar cells, Vsx1, Sox6, single-cell RNA sequencing, retinal development, Jamie Cassels Undergraduate Research Awards (JCURA)